


The best days of your life most often outnumber the ones where you feel the most alone..

by DisneyBroadway123



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Edgar Allan Poe References, F/M, Family Issues, Fluff, Like full on stories that he wrote, My two favorites Annabel Lee and The Masque Of The Red Death, Romance, They get better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-10 21:57:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13510593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyBroadway123/pseuds/DisneyBroadway123
Summary: Emiko Oriyn is your typical rich girl aside from one thing that makes her almost entirely different, she's got the biggest love for her best friend Masaomi. He brought her into the light and this her story of how she grew to love that light.





	The best days of your life most often outnumber the ones where you feel the most alone..

_ My name is Emiko Oriyn, I am the daughter of two of the most prestigious people in Japan. I love being around my parents when they have enough time to be around me we have a great time which is usually over the weekend. We have what we call movie weekends, where we each pick out two movies and we all watch them together as a family. I loved to spend time with my best friend Masaomi Kida who transfered to my middle school when I was thirteen and decided that the spot next to mine would be the ideal place for him to sit. At first I couldn’t stand him, he was constantly bothering me when I was trying to read, study, do homework or listen to music during our free hour at our middle school. Overtime, his sheer optimism and willpower to get to know me crashed down every single wall that I had worked my hardest to cover up. We started to text and spend more time together outside of school. The more I was around my best friend, the more that I fell in love with him. However, I knew that he was a leader of an infamous color gang called the Yellow Scarves. I never told my parents, they would insist that I stay away from him if they ever knew that he was once a member of a color gang. Midway through school two years ago, my parents got worried about all the color gangs that were going around, not knowing that Masaomi was a leader of one. They hired a bodyguard, one who was considered to be the best of the best, Shizuo Heiwajima. He became one of my closest friends outside Masaomi and I trusted him with the secret that Masaomi was a member of a color gang. I knew also that until a few months ago, Masaomi had a girlfriend, Saki. I was the major informat for my best friend’s gang because of Asperger’s I was extremely bright and I loved being helpful to my best friend. What I had not planned though, was for a rival gang called the Blue Squares to kidnap Saki. Masaomi shrunk into a deep depression shortly after this had happened and I knew that it was up to me to bring back my energetic best friend that I had grown to love. It took a long time and a lot of hours of begrudging friendship therapy for Masaomi to come back to his old self but once he did he seemed to be better than ever. I spent my time that I wasn’t with Masaomi either drawing or listening to music on my ever trusty walkman that I had painted to look like the sky when I was twelve and first gotten my tapes that I still stood by to this day. I also loved to dance, play music on my piano and read books obviously. I spent a lot of time just being around Masaomi during the week though so that I wasn’t alone when I eventually went home. Whether that be just wandering around Ikebukuro to see what would happen or just spending time being around each other I didn’t really care all that much. A lot of people probably thought that we were dating because of how playful and joking we are with each other and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about the nature of my relationship with him but I’ve never really cared. There was just something about him where I knew that we were destined to meet and I joked that he was destined to drive me crazy. My looks were around above average but I had freckles that I still got picked on for having on the days when Masaomi was gone. I hoped that would change now that I was in high school that everything would just change. Maybe now that I was in high school I could grow a pair of guts and tell Masaomi how I really feel about him. Yeah right girly keep dreaming. No matter how much older that I’m going to get it won’t ever really matter, I’ll always be a coward. I’ve had some people tell me otherwise, namely Shizuo who’s a family friend of my parents and has been somewhat like my uncle since I was really little.  _ At the moment I was waiting for Masaomi because we were going to go and pick up an old friend of his from the train station. I had on my favorite pink sweatshirt that had a heart on the front of it and a pair of white leggings with a blue skirt because I like to spin around on my hardwood floors… don’t judge me alright?! I get enough crap from Shizuo and Masaomi about it that all the jokes write themselves I know!! It’s for fun okay? Can’t a girl just spin to a song on her walkman and not look like a lunatic. I heard the bell to my mansion where I lived with my parents ring and the main servent beat me to the door.

“Heading out mistress?” I nodded my head faintly. 

“Yeah I am, I’m going out with Masaomi to go get a friend of his from the train station. He’s going to be going to Raira Academy with me and Masaomi.” I told my friend and laced up my favorite combat boots that I love. I opened the door and waved to the Kikio who had almost opened the door. 

“If my parents come back and I’m not yet tell them that I’ll be back later!!” I told her and Masaomi smiled at me. 

“Ready to get going Ems?” I nodded my head as I zipped up my sweatshirt. 

“Yeah let’s go get this friend of yours. I’m sure that you’re really excited to see him.” I looked down at my shoes and just decided to let it go. There’s no way that I would get replaced. I shouldn’t even be worried about it. I’ll talk to Shizuo about it maybe tomorrow before school. 

“Yeah Mikaro is really great!! I’m sure that you’ll really like him too. He’s really a lot like you. I seem to be found of the shy people.” Masaomi added and I started to laugh. 

“I’m not that shy!! It just depends on the person, you know that. I could talk for hours to Shizuo if I could. Or to you for that matter.” I reminded him and Masaomi laughed at me. 

“I know that, it just takes time for those walls to come crashing down on each other.” I laughed at him and shoved his shoulder gently. 

“Not my fault!! You were the one that was being persistently annoying with me and constantly in my face.” I remarked and he rolled his eyes at me lightly with a laugh. 

“I think you mean it was my incredibly good looks which eventually got you to be honest with me.” I rolled my eyes at my best friend.  

“Well it certainly wasn’t your ego I can tell you that right now.” Masaomi fake gasped at me which only caused me to laugh harder at him. 

“Ego? Who has an ego? Not me of course.” I lightly rolled my eyes at my best friend with a slight blush on my cheeks. 

“Do you think that high school will be any different from junior high?” I asked my best friend and he shrugged. 

“Who knows I just want to have as much fun as I can. You’ll join in the fun with me right?” I smiled at my best friend. Sometimes when the sunlight hit him just right I swore that he was an angel. 

“Of course I will!! I can’t let you have all the fun without me.” I brushed a stray chestnut curl back behind my ear that had fallen out of my ponytail. 

“Good, I’ve taught you well young student.” I stuck my tongue out at Masaomi as he laughed at me. His laugh reminded me of music like a higher active on a piano. 

“And there you go, you’ve just ruined my relationship with you. Nice going Masaomi.” I joked and he playfully bumped my shoulder with his. 

“Fine go off and be that way, but sooner you’ll be back!! They always come back!!” Masaomi yelled causing a scene and I laughed at him. 

“Will you chill Masao, you’re causing a scene.” I lectured him half heartedly and I laughed at the pout that I received. 

“You’re officially the worst best friend in the entire world.” I smirked over at my best friend and shook my head at him. 

“You spent almost half a year getting to know apparently the worst best friend in the world. I think that the argument speaks for itself.” I argued and he looked at me with his head cocked to the side in slight confusion. I saw Shizuo walking up and down the street as I waved to him and he smirked at me. I could tell that he was busy for the moment so I just kind of let him do his thing. 

“I can’t believe that guy was the same guy who bought you that sweatshirt.” Masaomi thought aloud and I laughed to myself. 

“His reputation is really for only if you get on his bad side for any reason whatsoever. Mostly he’s just a big softie but doesn’t want people to know it. I was just the first one to really bring it out of him.” I told my best friend and he smiled over at me as I nodded my head. 

“Still somewhat surprising. I mean have you ever seen him against Izaya?” I nodded my head with a slight shiver. 

“That was the only time that I was genuinely afraid of him. Most of the time he didn’t scare me. It was that one time when he threw a vending machine at Izaya that I’ll never forget though.” I remembered that day too, it had started off so ordinary. I was hanging out with Shizuo waiting for Masaomi in the town square for a movie day and I suddenly saw this flash of red in Shizuo’s eyes before he threw the first thing that he saw, a vending machine. 

“Remember what he did to those bullies? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone run so fast in my life.” I laughed at the memory of early this year after all the color gangs had disbanded and Shizuo had technically been let go because I no longer really needed him he still hung around and sometimes walked me home from school on the days that Masaomi was gone. 

“Oh yeah, how can I forget about that? Nobody’s bothered me since then though so I’m grateful for him for doing that. I remember that he became even more protective over me since then.” I laughed to myself as we went down to the train station. 

“Have you decided on a song for the talent show yet?” Masaomi asked me and I shrugged. I had always danced for the talent shows in the years before but it always took me a little bit longer to plan a song out. 

“I don’t know I would really love to do Good Life by OneRepublic that would be awesome or just anything by them would be a ton of fun…” I trailed off thinking about any other ideas that I had in the back of my mind. I had practically done Elton John to death already for the past four years that was all I would dance to. I would love to switch it up. I would have to do some idea shooting with Shizuo the next time that I talked to him. 

“That would be really amazing to see you pull that off. I would also love to see you do something Disney related that would be really epic to see. I would love to see pretty much anything that you do and I’m sure that whatever you do it’ll look polished and beautiful.” I blushed slightly at the onslaught of compliments. Whenever I got compliments from Masaomi I got flustered and I’m so easily flustered around him it seemed. Used to drive me nuts too. 

“Disney is hard because I love so many songs that the company has ever done. It would be like choosing to dance to a Beatles song. How does one make that decision?” I asked my best friend and he laughed at me shaking his head with a bright smile. 

“On that topic, have you ever danced to Blackbird?” I shook my head but it was a really beautiful idea and I did really love that song. 

“No I haven’t but I’ll put it in the vault. I love Paul McCartney so much, his style of music is just beautiful to me.” I smiled to myself at all the memories that I had with the Beatles.

“Just something to consider, I’m sure that whatever you choose will probably be better than any of my shitty ideas.” Masaomi shrugged and I smiled at my best friend. 

“Hey they’re better than some of my parents ideas, most of the time when I want to talk music I go to Shizuo.” I informed my best friend and he nodded his head once we got down the escalator. 

“See your friend?” I asked him and he nodded his head at me with a slight smirk as I followed him. 

“Mikado.” He startled the boy that he was talking to as he stared at Masaomi in confusion. 

“How’d you… Masaomi?!” Mikado the boy, looked stunned and I laughed quietly to myself. 

“Was that a question? Sounded like one. So now you get three answers that it could be. One Masaomi Kida, two Masaomi Kida, three Masaomi Kida.” I groaned and facepalmed at my best friend as I shook my head at him. 

“I told you not to use that one you idiot!!” I smacked him lightly on the back of his head. 

“I’m sorry are you Emiko?” I smiled at the boy as Masaomi glared at me. 

“Yep, that would be me Emiko Oriyn pleasure to meet you.” I introduced myself and Mikado looked at me with wide eyes. 

“No way… Masaomi you never told her that she was an Oriyn!! I have that laptop it’s amazing.” I looked down at my shoes. 

“Well my dad’s a genius, he’s really great at tech stuff.” I told him fiddling with my purse slightly. 

“Did I say something wrong?” I shook my head at the boy. 

“No not at all, I just don’t see my parents that much. It’s alright though, it kind of comes with the last name you know?” I offered collecting myself. It wasn’t though, my dad tries to run my life. It wouldn’t be long before he starts to call suitors over for dinner. 

“I can’t believe it you died your hair, it looks cool. You look so different. I didn’t recognize you. Although your jokes still suck.” I laughed at that comment. 

“You mean his jokes have always sucked that bad?!” I asked my new friend causing Masaomi to lightly step on my foot. 

“What do you expect? It’s been four years. Look at you, you haven’t changed, you look the same as you did back in elementary school. And buddy, my jokes don’t suck, they rule.” Masaomi reminded his best friend with a clap on the shoulder as I shook my head. 

“That’s never been true since I’ve met you so that means that by default your jokes suck Masaomi get over it.” I rolled my eyes briefly at my best friend and he bumped my hip. 

“No they don’t!! Ask anyone.” I rolled my eyes again but just laughed at him all the same. 

“Come on you two. Let’s go. Get out from underground. I feel like going west today, young man and lady.” I groaned again and smiled to myself shaking my head.

“Even Shizuo would throw a vending machine in your general direction for that one Masaomi. I say we take the Seibu exit the same way that we came in.” I instructed and they both followed me. 

“So where did you learn how to dance Oryin-san?” Mikado asked me and I smiled at him. 

“We’re going to be friends right? So just call me Emiko or some sort of variation of that. I’ve got a lot of them Emms, Emi those are just two of them. How did you know that I could dance?” I asked Mikado and I knew that this would be a funny story here. 

“Well Masaomi sent me this video of you tap dancing to this version of Friend Like Me that I had never heard before. I thought that it was breathtaking. You’re really talented at dancing.” I blushed slightly. 

“Okay so that was my song for the talent show last year, I wanted to take a break from ballet and pop so my friend who used to be my bodyguard Shizuo recommended tap lessons. I did some and mostly taught myself how to tap dance and then I picked the Broadway version of Friend Like Me to do it with. A combination of ballet and pop.” I explained to my new friend and he nodded his head at me. 

“You had a bodyguard?” I nodded my head with a laugh. 

“Yep, my mom’s a little bit of a worrywort so last year when the gang violence was really bad she found me a bodyguard Shizuo Heiwajima. He’s to this day one of my closest friends. He has a bit of a bad wrap around him but as long as you’re not mean to me you two will be cool.” I told my new friend and he looked at me slightly nervous. 

“What do you wanna do first? Is there anything that you wanna check out?” Masaomi asked his best friend as we got back on the escalator. 

“What? Like right now? Man, that’s where you take a girl out on a date not your two best friends.” I laughed at Masaomi’s childish nature.

“ Oh, umm... what about Ikebukuro West Gate Park?”  Mikado asked and I looked at my friend curiously. 

“Dude, call it Nishiguchi park. Now you’ve got the lady all confused.” I stuck my tongue out at my best friend. 

“Shut up!! I’ve just never heard anyone call it that.” I hollered at my best friend smiling to myself at our banter. We arrived up at the top and I took a breath of fresh air. I heard my phone going off and I reached into the pocket of my sweatshirt. 

“It’s my dad, I have to take this.” I answered the phone and heard my dad’s voice. 

_ “Where the hell are you?!”  _ That was not a happy tone of voice, I knew that tone. That was the mad dad tone. 

“I told Kikio that I was was going out with Masaomi. His best friend just got in from out of town. We were going to show him around.” I explained to my dad and I heard him sigh on the other end of the phone. 

_ “Just get home right now. It’s dark and there’s someone that you should meet. I told you to stop hanging around with that boy. Something about him just screams bad news. I just want to keep you safe.” _ I sighed on the other end of the phone. 

“He’s my best friend, he worked hard to get to know me dad. I love having him around much like Shizuo.” I reminded him and made a quick sign to Masaomi telling him that I had to go home. He looked at me sadly but nodded his head all the same. I turned and started down the path for home. 

_ “And I love that you are making friends, especially with people your own age. Shizuo is a good person to have on your side. He’s able to protect you. What can that boy do protect you?”  _ I groaned to myself. 

“Is it so strange that I don’t need someone to protect me dad? Shizuo taught me how to defend myself after he found out that I was getting bullied. I don’t need to be protected because I can do that on my own. In fact I prefer it that way. I don’t need to be protected from Masaomi anyways. Shizuo has checked him out already, he says that he’s clean so why are you still going on about this?” I asked my dad hurt that he didn’t trust me. 

_ “It’s not that I don’t trust you sweetheart or that I don’t think you need to be protected. I just want to ensure that you’re happy with your life.”  _

“I am!! Masaomi makes me happy okay? I’m almost home so I’ll talk to you when I get there.” I said goodbye to my dad as I walked up the road to our mansion and Kikio opened the door. 

“The master has brought a young man with him. He claims to want you heart.” I frowned to myself. 

“Meaning that he wants all our money great. Thanks for letting me know Kikio. I’ll make sure to avoid the main hall.” I told her before running as fast as I could up to my room. I grabbed my phone so that I could text Shizuo. 

_ Me: Help me!! My dad is losing his marbles!! He’s pulling the suiter trademark and I can’t get out of here.  _ I sent to my ex-bodyguard when I heard knocking at the door. 

“Emiko? Please come downstairs, I want you to meet somebody.” It was my dad and I sighed to myself. Just then Shizuo texted me back. 

_ Shizuo: Can’t help you out right now Emmi, just try to grin and bear it. I’ll see you later tonight. Than you can bitch and moan about how much the pompous ass irritates you. Let me know when the deed is done and I’ll go on a walk with you. _

_ Me: Some help you are!! Fine I’ll go downstairs. I just wish that my dad stopped doing this sort of thing and realize that I love Masaomi.  _ I took my sketchbook that I was working on just in case things got awkward downstairs. I saw that my dad had left me out a new dress and frowned but put it on anyways to make him happy. I opened the door and took my sketchbook but when I saw the boy I realized that he was kind of cute. He had black hair and blue eyes. If I hadn’t had my heart stolen already, it might have been by him. 

“Oh Emiko there you are!! This is Brendon.” I looked down at my feet. 

“Nice to meet you.” I told him shyly and he looked at me irritated. 

“Why don’t you look people in the eyes? That’s a little weird.” This only gave me more anxiety. 

“Well see I have what’s called Asperger’s, it’s a social disease that means that I’m not that great at relating to people.” I admitted wishing that Shizuo could just bust through that door and get me out of here. The boy just nodded and then started to ignore me which of course I was fine with. My mom lead me out of the room. 

“I told your father that this was a really bad idea. You seemed so anxious in there, did you finish your sketch?” I nodded my head and flipped to the Raven from the poem of the same name. I had a massive love for Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry and works of fiction he was my favorite writer.  

“Wow!! That’s beautiful sweetheart. Who are you going to draw next?” My mom asked me with a small smile. 

“I want to do the Red Death next. That will probably take me a long time-” I started to explain to her but got the call again. 

“Emiko!! Come in here and play the piano.” I groaned and rubbed my eyes. This was the last time that I was doing this for him. I’m through with playing this game with him. If he can’t accept that I love Masaomi it would probably ruin our family. 

“Coming dad!!” I went into the room anyways. 

“Anything in particular that you would like to hear?” I asked my dad mostly and I smiled at him. 

“Do the theme song for Jane in the Tarzan musical.” I did as my dad instructed and I smiled at him with a shy nature. 

“ _ Carila papaya, Bixa orellana, Callistemon linearis,  _ _ Campanula incurva  _ _ I know you all.  Oh, I've been waiting for this moment Oh, it seems like all my life. Here I am - my head is spinning because I'm finally living the life that I dreamed. It seems I've been waiting forever. Mimulus aurantiacus, Pedicularis attollens, Boehmeria tricuspis, I always knew you'd be this beautiful. Here and now nothing matters Everything I wanted is here I feel at home, I've found my place. All this beauty before me was out of my reach I never imagined such wonder. All these friends, I feel like I know them oh so well and though it's strange I feel they know me too. There's something strangely intoxicating and it's going to my head. That makes me feel oh so alive I could stay here forever and never need more. Embracing these wonders of nature. Calliandra houstoniana, Campanula barbata, Babiana rubrocyanea, Campanula fragilis, Calycanthus occidentalis, Gentiana saxosa. Oh these friends, it seems like I know them oh so well and I can see that, ooh, they want to know me too. It's such a liberating feeling and it's happening to me. I've never felt this glow inside new, exciting, inviting, wanting to play I cannot resist this temptation, temptation.”  _ I finished my song to the company being mildly impressed. 

“Is that all that you needed me for? Can I go back out with Masaomi now? We were having fun.” I protested to my dad who smiled and ruffled my hair. 

“No sweetheart, you may not.” I looked at him with pain in my eyes. 

“But why torture both parties who clearly don’t want to be here?” I asked him as Brendon looked at me with his eyes widened. My dad scowled at me and I knew that right then I was in trouble. He dragged me up to my room. 

“You can come out of here when you learn some respect.” He slammed the door and I think locked it. I heard a ding from my phone. 

_ Masaomi: So what did daddy dearest need you for?  _ _  
_ _ Me: He needed me to come home to meet some suiter that he had planted out for me. Now he’s locked me in my room. I need to get out of here.  _ I changed back into my regular street clothes and texted Shizuo. 

_ Me: I’m leaving now, he’s locked me in my room. No shocker there. Told me I needed to learn some respect just because I asked a valid question.  _

_ Shizuo: What did you ask him?  _

_ Me: I asked him why torture both parties when it’s obvious that both parties clearly don’t want to be there. Was that a bad move?  _

_ Shizuo: Knowing your dad I would say that yes it was. I’m on my way. I just saw Masaomi and some other kid.  _

_ Me: That would be Mikado, an old friend of Masaomi’s from elementary school.  _ I heard the doorbell ring just as I picked that lock and got out of my room. Thankfully my mom answered the door not my dad. 

“Shizuo, lovely to see you. Emiko is expecting you I take it?” Shizuo nodded his head though stiffly. 

“Yes ma’am.” That was when my dad came out of the room that he was in. 

“She’s out of the house right now.” I went down the stairs to stand by Shizuo’s side. 

“Stop lying dad. Look, we need to have this conversation now. I’m in love with Masaomi. You’re the only one that doesn’t know aside from him.” I told my dad and he glared at me. 

“I thought maybe I had raised you better than to fall in love with a commoner.” I ducked out of the way of a slap across the face right when Shizuo stopped the hand. 

“Are you sure that what you’re doing is wise Mr. Oriyn?” Shizuo asked him pushing up his glasses as he glared daggers at my father. 

“What do you know about my daughter? Aside from the fact that she clearly needs a lesson to be taught. I knew that those Poe words were contaimating her brain.” I glared up at him. 

“Why? Because his words held such a power that even you can’t argue with them? Because they talk about death and gore? Because they speak about things that are taboo? Wake up dad!! Call me when you decide that I’m still your little girl and that you love me still. And don’t you dare call my best friend a commoner ever again. He’s so much more than that to me.” I walked out of the door with my ex-bodyguard at my left shoulder. 

“I’m proud of you Emmi, I think you gave him some definite things to think about back there. Good job. Did you finish that raven sketch?” I nodded my head. Usually what I drew was special things for myself, it was of a poem that I had read by my favorite writer or a short story. My favorite was this sketch that I had made a month ago of a woman in a field who was my version of Annabelle Lee. I tend to use a quote that I love during my readings and highlight it and use that quote. For Annabelle Lee I used  _ It was many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, there was maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of Annabelle Lee; and this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me. _

“Yes I did, I brought my sketchbook with me so that I can show my friends. My favorite is still my one that I made for Annabelle Lee. Switching topics, I need to figure out exactly what song I’m going to use for the talent show this year. Got any ideas?” I asked the bodyguard who thought about it. 

“So, we’re taking a break from Elton again right? You’ve done that one since I met you so we need some freshness. How about a song from The Greatest Showman?” I thought about it. 

“That’s a really good idea actually. I would love to create a dance based around This is Me or Never Enough. I feel like Never Enough would be the song if I were to go with the more ballet lover side of my personality while This Is Me is the love of more pop and contemporary.” I listed off and Shizuo sent me this look of fondness as I continued to think about what I wanted to do for this idea. 

“You could also do Strong or something from Disney. I know that Disney is a little bit tricker for you to work with but it could still be good.” I nodded my head with a shy smile. 

“Disney is a really good option and a lot of fun. I had a ton of fun with Friend Like Me last year. That was like a blend of everything that I knew and I learned when I was a little girl.” I told my friend realizing that Masaomi had probably texted me back and I hadn’t even looked at my phone for a long time. 

_ Masaomi: What the hell?! Has he ever done that before?!  _

_ Masaomi: Tell me that you texted Shizuo Kronk, I need to hear these words.  _

_ Me: I texted Shizuo Yzma, we’re just now arriving in the city square.  _

_ Masaomi: Oh thank god!! So are me and Mikado, I see you.  _ I smiled to myself as Shizuo looked up. 

“Your boyfriend is coming.” I gently nudged his side to make him stop talking. 

“Shut up!! I still need to talk to him about that so lay off will you?” I teased and he rolled his eyes at me. 

“Keep telling yourself that. Go off with your friends and have fun.” Shizuo ordered and I smiled at my friend.    
“See ya!! Don’t throw any vending machine’s!!” I waved to my bodyguard and he just laughed at me. 

“I make no promises!!” I laughed to myself as I caught up with my best friend and his best friend. Masaomi instantly hugged me and I hugged him back just as tightly. 

“I’m so sorry that you had to do all that work and just end up getting locked in your bedroom. I wish that you could have stayed.” I smiled at my best friend. 

“Me too. But mostly I just want my dad to understand that I love being around my friends despite the social standing that we have.” I moved my hair to the left side. I pulled back from the hug as Mikado looked at me curiously. 

“Are you alright Emiko? I mean you just randomly left without saying anything.” I smiled sadly at Mikado. 

“I’m fine Mikado don’t worry about me. It’s just my family issues with my dad. We’ve been struggling for years but tonight was finally the nail in the coffin. He called me only to force me to play house with him and this random suitor which I only knew it was only a matter of time before I just lost my cool with him. Maybe I spend too much time around Shizuo I don’t know.” I thought to myself as Masaomi just linked my arm through his. 

“Her dad is usually pretty cool, he’s probably just being overworked right now. I’m sure he’ll be back to the same guy in no time at all.” I grinned at Masaomi as we started to walk around again. 

“Funny, that was Shizuo’s reasoning too. Anyway’s let’s get the show on the road. Where do you want to go first Mikado?” I asked my new friend easily changing the subject to something that was less melodramatic. Mikado was too busy looking around our city in awe. 

“ Wow. A world that I'd only see in manga and online is right here in front of me! It's cooler than Kami Sakura-Machi-Ginza.” I laughed at Mikado and smiled to myself. It was kind of like in a manga but I didn’t read a whole lot of those. 

“Then I guess we’ll have to take you to Shibuya sometime. But if you’re looking for crowds, the horse track is probably better.” I gently nudged his shoulder for the cheesy as hell joke. “There aren’t too many color gangs any more. Bunch of flashy ones were hanging around last year, but they clashed with the gangs in Saitama. Most of ‘em got busted. Ever since then, you don’t see too many people standing around wearing the same color clothes anymore. I guess everyone knows that if they do that, the cops will be after them in sec.” Masaomi explained and I knew that maybe this conversation was aiming a little bit too close to home for him. 

“Does that mean Ikebukuro is a safe city now?” Mikado asked and I laughed at him. 

“Not even close, even if we have protectors like Shizuo most of the time he’s busy working or he’s with me. He really only tries to protect us from one person, and that’s a man that you never want anything to do with.” I warned him and he nodded his head faintly. 

“Anyway this is 60 stories street. There’s another street called Sunshine street.” I smiled at Masaomi’s attempts to cover that up. I saw two of our friends coming up, Erika and Walker. 

“Hey Masaomi Emmi!!” I waved to Erika. She was slightly eccentric but she was a good person. I had even made the raven sketch in her honor. 

“Oh, hey Erika, Walker.” I smiled at her while taking  out my sketchbook. 

“I was actually wondering when I would run into you again. I finished it.” I took out the sketch that I had created and she smiled at me. 

“It’s amazing!! Thanks a bunch. What’s going to be your next sketch?” I smiled at my close girlfriend. 

“I’m probably going to do the Mask Of The Red Death next… no clue as to how I’m going to do that.” I replied to her seeing our other friends come out of the car that they were in. 

“Who’s the guy that you two are with? Friend of yours?” Erika asked me and I nodded my head. 

“Yeah me and this guy go way back, even further than me and my dear Emmi-chan.” I glared at my best friend and started to laugh with the rest of our friends. 

“These are our friends that we made around a year ago. This is Erika and her best friend Walker up there lurking in corners is Kyohei and Saburo.” I introduced and Mikado nodded his head. 

“Sorry, my name is Mikado Ryugamine.” Mikado introduced and the two Otakus looked at him strangely. 

“Maybe it’s a pen name?” Walker asked his best friend and she shook her head at him. 

“Why would a kid their age in high school have a pen name? Maybe a radio show or a blog?” Erika asked our friend who shook his head slightly. 

“Actually that is my real name.” Mikado insisted as I smiled at him. 

“Holy crap!! You have the coolest name ever!! It’s like out of a manga or something.” Walker gushed and Masaomi laughed at my friends.    
“Stop it. You’re embarrassing me.” I laughed even harder as I bumped my best friend with my hip and a blush on my cheeks that of course he didn’t notice. It was probably for the best that he didn’t notice it as well. 

“You guys go shopping?” I asked my two friends and they nodded their heads excitedly and I smiled at them. 

“The new Dengeki Bunko series hit today. And we grabbed thirty copies before anyone knew ahead of them.” I laughed at my crazy guy friend and shook my head at them as I saw a Holo from Spice and Wolf cardboard cutout. 

“Dengeki Bunko puts out thirty books a month?!” Mikado asked our friends excitedly. 

“No way. It’s not like that at all. The two of us each get a copy of the latest series. And the other ten that’s for other reasons….”  _ Weirdos I never really questioned them though. They were funny, good people despite their oddities. I loved being around Erika because she was creative and had so many different interests. Hell I wouldn’t be into Poe without her. She was the one who gave me a complete series with all of his writings for my last birthday.  _

“Well, I guess we better get going now. Thanks for the sketch Emmi, I’m really glad that you love his writing so much. We’ll have to talk more about it the next time that I see you.” I waved to my best girlfriend and she smiled at me getting inside the car with Walker and driving off. 

“I know, I know. They are kinda weird. But if you’re cool with them, they’re cool with you. Erika and Emi really hit off in the last year right Emiko?” I nodded my head at the statement. 

“Yeah, she gave me this really amazing book for my birthday not really knowing if I would be into it or not. Ever since then I’ve had an obsession with his version of the printed word.” I explained to my friend and he looked at me curiously. 

“What was the writers name?” He asked me and I looked down at my feet nervously. 

“It was Edgar Allan Poe. Don’t judge me his words are beautiful.” Masaomi laughed at me and patted my head. 

“His words are beautiful, at least from the ones that you read to me. You’ll have to maybe read some to Mikado.” Mikado looked at me with a shy smile. 

“I’d like that a lot. The only one that I’ve ever read is The Raven but I do love that short story. I assume that they’re are better ones out there though?” My new friend asked me and I shrugged. 

“In my opinion yes there are better short stories that he’s written. I love The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell Tale Heart, but my two favorites are The Mask Of The Red Death and Annabelle Lee.” I explained to my new friend and he nodded his head faintly. 

“Ever since she got that massive book it’s all that she ever reads. She used to always read Lord Of The Rings but after she got that book last year it’s all that she reads.” Masaomi joked and I rolled my eyes at my best friend. 

“You asked me to read that book to you, we practically burned through the entire thing in less than a week.” I reminded him as Mikado looked at me with a small smile on his face. 

“I didn’t know you hung around with such interesting people.” I stuck my tongue out at my new friend. 

“Yeah, I got my hands on all kinds of stuff around here. Look it. I know where all the cool shops are, where to find good used clothes, and how to work out deals with the street vendors.” I smiled and shook my head at my best friend. 

“I mean, knowing where all the street vendors are means that it’s easier to pick up the ladies like this one.” I blushed when Masaomi put his arm around my shoulders and I stepped harshly on his foot. I laughed when my best friend stuck his tongue out at me and I laughed at my new friend when he rolled his at us. 

“That makes sense to me, I mean how did you two meet anyways?” Mikado asked us and I smiled at my best friend. 

“Okay so this idiot transfered to my elementary school and he sat right down next to me. For months he was this constant nagging annoyance in my ear that I prayed he would eventually leave me the hell alone because he was annoying. That sadly didn’t happen and eventually I caved because I thought that eventually leave me alone. See, I have Aspergers so that has never made me exactly good with people. I’m only good at communicating with four people. My parents usually, my old bodyguard who you saw walking with me that was Shizuo and this prankster over here. Over time, he slowly began to tear down all the walls that I had spent my entire life putting up.” I explained to Mikado and he nodded his head. 

“Shizuo is a little bit scary, but as well if you’re cool with him and Emiko he’ll leave you alone.” I laughed at my best friend and he rolled his eyes at me. 

“I’m getting a little bit tired actually Masaomi, can we find a way to my apartment.” I looked at my new friend and nodded but then we saw Simon and he saw us. 

“Yo!! Simon. How’s it going?” Masaomi greeted and I smiled at my friend who was good friends with Shizuo. 

“Hmm… Kida, Emiko-chan. Want sushi? It’s good. Sushi very good. I give you discount.” I reached into my purse realizing that I had left my wallet at home. 

“Nah man. Not today, I’m broke. Need a job and some cash and I’ll definitely come. Unless it’s free today.” Masaomi joked and I watched as the emotions played across Simon’s face. 

“No way, Jose. If I give free, I sent to die in a seaweed of Russian Tundra.” I laughed at my friend that I had made through Shizuo. 

“Sorry I can’t help you tonight either Simon. I left my house in a hurry tonight and accidently left my wallet next to my book back at home when Shizuo came to get me.” I told my friend and he nodded his head at me. 

“I saw Shizuo earlier today, he was chasing around Izaya carrying a vending machine of drinks.” I laughed at the statement and shook my head at my old bodyguard already getting an image in my brain of what had happened probably. 

“That sounds like my old bodyguard. I’ll come back with money next time. I’ll even bring the freeloader.” I mentioned to my friend and Masaomi slugged my shoulder gently. 

“There’s no seaweed in the Tundra anyways Simon. Later.” He waved to our friend and I laughed at Simon’s face. 

“You two know that guy?” Mikado asked us and I nodded my head at the question. 

“Completely he’s a good friend of Shizuo’s the guy that threw the vending machine. He works for that Russia Sushi place handing out flyers and stuff.” I explained to the boy and he looked at us. 

“I’m sorry I don’t get the joke.” Masaomi smirked at his best friend and he nudged his shoulder. 

“She’s not joking. She’s being serious. His name is supposed to be pronounced Seymon. But people call him Simon ‘cause it’s easier. I heard his parents fled from America to Russia or something like that. Anyway, this Russian friend of his decided to open a sushi place, and gave him a gig. And don’t piss him off for realz. I saw him break up this fight once, a guy as big as him and dude, he picked him up with one hand. You know, there’s a few other people you should avoid pissing off.” I saw at that moment Shizuo throwing a vending machine at someone who was running away. 

“Shizuo!! I said no throwing vending machine’s at people!!” I yelled at him and he laughed at me. 

“And I told you that I made no promises Emmi!! Which way did he go?” He asked me and I pointed in the direction that I saw the terrified man running. 

“What did he do exactly?” Mikado asked him slightly paranoid. 

“I saw him trying to put the moves massively on some younger girl. We’re talking sniffing her neck sorta creeper.” I gagged and Masaomi pulled a face full of disgust. 

“So I ask again. Which. Way. Did. He. GO.” Shizuo demanded and I pointed in the direction that we saw the man run. 

“He went that way Mr. Badass.” Masaomi told him and I smacked him gently while Shizuo laughed as he chased off the man who ran away from him.  

“Beat him good Shizuo!!” I cheered for my old bodyguard and he smirked at me. 

“Don’t I always!!” He yelled back at me as I laughed at him. I smiled to myself knowing that he would kick his ass to next week. 

“So who was that guy?” Mikado asked me and I laughed to myself. 

“That my dear fellow was Shizuo Heiwajima, my Emiko’s old bodyguard. He has superhuman strength almost and he’s not the type of man that you want to piss off as you can already tell he is very protective over Emi.” Masaomi explained and I nodded my head. 

“He’s one of the best people that I know though. He has really strong morals obviously and that’s one of my favorite things about him. He’s not really dangerous just kind of intimidating if you don’t really know him as a person.” I explained to my friend and he smiled at me. 

“He seems to have really high morals and very protective against the pervs. You might want to look out Masaomi.” Mikado joked and Masaomi stuck his tongue out at his best friend. 

“Come on, you said that you wanted to go home right? We’re pretty drained too. Why don’t you start to head home since you live in the opposite direction Emi?” I nodded my head hugging my best friend goodbye. 

“I’ll see you two tomorrow.” I waved to them as I walked down the path to my home and I arrived there as Kikio opened the door for me. 

“Welcome back Mistress. You’re father would like to see you. He’s mellowed out a fair bit.” I smiled at my favorite servant as I went upstairs to my dad’s office. I opened the door to my father’s office. 

“Dad? I’m sorry that I lost my temper with you-” He cut me off with a sad smile in my direction. 

“Don’t you dare apologize, if anyone nearly lost their temper with you it was me. I have been working like crazy and neglecting my little girl that I love and adore. I was so blinded that I thought I was right when in the situation I was completely wrong. Your mother and Shizuo tried to warn me against what I was doing that i was controlling your life but I didn’t want to believe them. I had to prove that I was right no matter the cost, and in that I was hurting you. If you truly love Masaomi, then who am I to stop true love? I see nothing wrong with the boy, in fact I see everything that’s right with him. You two belong together because you’re both so different yet so similar at the same time. I know about the color gang, that he was the leader of the yellow scarves. Your mother know too, but we also know that sometimes circumstances happen and you have to move forward. He’s not their leader anymore is he?” I shook my head at the question. 

“No, he’s not. He had too much emotional baggage with them so he decided that the best thing to do would be to resign when everything got even worse than it started. It’s why I was over at his house so much earlier on this year. He wouldn’t leave his apartment so I had to go over there in order to get him to talk to me. After many hours of friendship therapy that I consider an obligation after troubleshooting ideas with Shizuo about how to deal with the situation.” I explained to my dad and he smiled softly at me as I told him. 

“I’m so sorry Emiko, I never meant to go off the handle. No more suiters, no more obligated parties, no more nothing.” My dad swore and I smiled at him.    
“Actually some of the parties were actually pretty fun. We could do more of them, but make them for charities maybe? Mom was saying how we should do more charity work.” I recommend and my dad nodded his head at me. 

“You’re onto something there Emi. Tell me, are you planning to talk to Masaomi about your feelings?” He asked me and I shrugged. 

“Shizuo has tried to get me to gain my confidence in that area but I just can never do it. I’m worried about losing his friendship over something so stupid as feelings that he doesn’t want me to have.” I told my dad taking a seat at the couch that he was sitting down at. I smoothed out my skirt before sitting down in my chair. 

“Do you remember when you had phenomena  last year?” My dad asked me and I made a fifty fifty sign with my hand. 

“I remember bits and pieces but I was so sick that most of it is just a blur.” I told him and he smiled at me. 

“Every single day Masaomi would come to make sure that you were getting better. It was a toss up between him and Shizuo of who was here more. I should have realized back than of how much he loved you. I know that he loves you too pumpkin you just need to find the right moment the next time that the two of you are alone to tell him.” My dad advised me and I gave him a hug. 

“Welcome back dad.” I told him and he laughed at me. 

“You want to read me some Edgar Allan from your book?” He asked me and I nodded running outside to get my book. 

“Anything in particular that you want to hear?” I asked and he just smiled at me when my mother came into the room.    
“Why don’t you pick out one of your favorite poems since it’s getting late.” My mother recommended and I nodded my head getting to the page where my favorite poem resided. 

“Alright I’ll do that, my favorite poem that he ever wrote was one for his wife who passed away from Tuberculosis.”  

_ “It was many a year ago, in a kingdom by the sea, there was maiden there lived whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee; and this maiden she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me. I was a child and she was a child in this kingdom by the sea, but we loved with a love that was more than love I and my Annabel Lee with a love that the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me. And this was the reason, that long ago, in this kingdom by the sea, a wind blew out of a cloud, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee; so that her highborn kinsman came and bore her away from me, to shut her up in a sepulcher in this kingdom by the sea. The angels, not half so happy in heaven, went envying her and me. Yes! Maybe that was the reason as all men know in this kingdom by the sea that the wind came out of that cloud by night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee. But our love it was stronger by far than the love of those who were older than we of many far wiser than we and neither the angels in Heaven above nor the demons down under the sea can ever dissever my love from my soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee; For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee; and the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee; and so all the night-tide, I lay by the side of my darling, my darling, my wife and my bride in her spechurle by the sea in her tomb by the sounding sea…”    _ I finished the beautiful poem and closed my book that I was reading from. 

“That was really beautiful sweetheart, I think that you should get to sleep though. You have a big day tomorrow.” My mom reminded me and I hugged her goodnight after doing the same thing to my dad. 

“Night guys, I love you both.” I went off to my room still carrying my massive book with me. I went off to my room which was massive and I had decorated it myself with all my favorite things that I had either made or bought online. We went to Disneyland at least once a year just for fun and because it’s our favorite place to go as a family. My favorite thing that I had ever bought at Disneyland was this massive Genie that I had bought who resided on my nightstand. I had picked him out on mainstreet and he was just amazing. I put on my favorite pajamas too, oddly enough they were also Genie themed. My favorite Disney character was rather obvious to those that knew me. I did the rest of my nightly routine before falling asleep cuddling into my Sulley that I had also bought from Disneyland. I slept until my alarm clock had woken me up. I grabbed my phone to stop the intro to Beauty and the beast from going any further. That was my other favorite Disney movie though oddly enough I owned more merchandise for Aladdin than anything else in my room. I eventually found the energy inside of me to roll out of bed and put on my Beast slippers before making my way downstairs. 

“Good morning Emiko, what would you like for breakfast?” I smiled to myself and sat down at the kitchen table. 

“Morning chief, how about an omelet this morning please. Did you get around to making the fruit salad yesterday?” The chief that we had at my house was amazing, she was super nice to me and always listened to me. 

“Yes I did, would you like french bread and roasted potatoes as well?” I nodded my head excitedly and she laughed at me. 

“Coming right up, your usual omelet.” My usual omelet was a tried and true recipe. It had colby jack shredded cheese, unions, and ham inside of it. I was rather picky about what I ate and I always stuck to traditions. If it was working for me I usually went with the usual. 

“You’re by far one of the easiest people that I have ever met Emiko. You always want the same thing, do you ever think about changing it?” The chief asked me and I shook my head. 

“Why would I want to risk changing something that I already really love. Besides it’s not like I eat this everyday just every Monday.” I reminded her and she laughed at me shaking her head. She handed me my food and I ate my breakfast before going upstairs to brush my teeth and get my hair under control again. I loved this sparkly blue hair ribbon that Shizuo had actually given me last year for when I got better from the phenomena last year. I grabbed my book of every single thing that Poe had written and inserted it into the bag that I would use for school. I put everything else into my bag and went downstairs to the main room where I put on my shoes. 

“By all!! Have a nice day, I’m off to school.” I told our workers and they all bid me goodbye as I walked down the road to school I got a text from Shizuo on my way there. 

_ Shizuo: Are you already on your way to school? I guess I’m a little bit behind today aren’t I?  _

_ Me: You’re fine Shizuo it’s not like it’s your job anymore. I’m on my way to school yes actually I’m almost there.  _

_ Shizuo: I know it’s no longer my job but I still love being around you. Tom thinks that it’s good for my image.  _ I chuckled at my old bodyguard and smiled to myself. 

_ Me: Did you catch that guy that you were after yesterday?  _

_ Shizuo: Yep and turned him into the police.  _ I smiled my friend as I arrived at my new school and walked through the gates. 

“Emi-chan!!” Masaomi was at my side in an instant and I felt the hug coming and blushed. 

“Morning Masaomi, Mikado. You two ready to do this? Because I could go the other direction.” I offered with a joking eyebrow as we all entered the school doors. 

“Nope too late for that now the gates of hell are already upon us.”  Masaomi muttered and I laughed at him. 

“I hope that the three of us get to sit together.” Mikado wished and I smiled at him. 

“We just might you never really know.” I heard my phone ding again and reached into my bag. 

_ Shizuo: I’ll wait for you in town square after school gets out and you can whine to me about it then how’s that sound?  _

“Is that the man we saw yesterday that you’re texting?” Mikado asked me and I nodded my head. 

“Yes I am, he was a little bit behind walking with me this morning. Even though he resigned shortly after all the gangs disbanded he insisted that he continue to be around me. Says that I’m the only person to try to make him be the type of man that his brother wants him to be. He’s a good soundboard and he always listens to me when I just want to vent about something.” I explained to my friends as we all wandered into the auditorium. 

“What did he want?” Masaomi asked me with his head to side. 

“He wanted me to meet him after school since he was behind this morning. We can still hang later if you wanted to. Shizuo will probably be able to talk to me for a little while.” I offered him and he nodded. 

“I’ve got the weirdest craving for ice cream lately.” Masaomi told me and I laughed at him at the sheer randomness that this conversation had started. 

“I’m almost always good for ice cream, Mikado you want to come?” I offered and the boy shook his head at us. 

“Nah I’ll pass, I feel like if I go I’ll just crash the party. It seems like you two need to talk anyways.” Mikado told us with a small smile and I looked at Masaomi curiously with a quirked up eyebrow. 

“That’s fine with me, I love just being together with Emiko.” I smiled at my best friend and stuck my tongue out at my best friend. I took out my cell phone so that I could text back Shizuo. 

_ Me: I can do that, I’m also going out for ice cream later it seems with Masaomi.  _

_ Shizuo: Now’s your chance kid!! Just go for it, I’m telling you that I know heart eyes and that boy has been giving you them since I met for the first time two years ago. Did you fix things with your dad by the way?  _

_ Me: Yeah I did actually, I’ll give you the details later but I think that things are about to get a lot better back at home. _ I put my phone in my bag so that it wouldn’t become a distraction during school hours as the principal came and started to give our orientation for high school. Most of the time I just rolled my eyes and it went in one ear and out the other and that’s what was happening now. I knew that Shizuo would be on my case for not paying attention, then again I would probably call him a hypocrite for saying so because he told me that he hardly ever paid attention when he was in school. After the Orientation I caught up with Masaomi and Mikado again. 

“Did you come up with an idea for the talent show yet?” Mikado asked me and I shrugged. 

“Not technically no, I’m still going through ideas with Shizuo.” I reached in my pocket when I heard a ding.

_ Shizuo: I almost forgot, I was telling Kasuka about your talent show and he actually had an idea that you might be interested in. Did you ever watch Hellsing? It has a really good ending theme that Kasuka thought you could pull off. _ I smiled at Shizuo. 

“Who’s Kasuka?” Mikado asked me and I smiled at my new friend. 

“Kasuka Heiwajima is Shizuo’s younger brother. He’s an actor usually so they don’t exactly see each other that often or talk that often really. He doesn’t usually go by that name though, most of our modern populace knows him as…” I lowered my voice so as to not cause a scene among my classmates as we entered with Masaomi babbling on about something or rather. “Yuuhei Hanjima. I’m probably the reason why they still talk today.” I told Mikado as he looked at me surprised. 

“That’s really cool!! Have you ever met him?” I nodded my head at the question that he gave me. 

“He’s not at all what you would expect, ironically for somebody who’s praised for his acting he’s rather emotionless in real life.” I elaborated for my friend as I texted Shizuo back. 

_ Me: I actually have seen Hellsing with Masaomi and I know the exact song that he’s talking about. It’s a song called Shine. That’s actually a really good idea… I always love a good challenge. Tell him that I’ll definitely think about it.  _

“Let’s see where we sit shall we?” Masaomi asked me with a wink as I rolled my eyes and nodded hoping that my blush wasn’t too obvious. I followed my best friend up to the front of the classroom where the seating chart was arranged. I knew what this meant first days meant that I had to introduce myself to the entire class. Oh great that’ll go swimmingly. I blushed a stray chestnut curl from behind my ear slightly and I sighed. I looked at the seating chart and saw that yet again I was right next to my best friend who cheered for joy. 

“I’m next to you again Emi!!” I laughed to myself and went to find our seats. 

“Just try at the very least to keep me out of trouble please this year. I got another song idea, believe it or not this one was Kasuka’s. He told Shizuo that he wanted to see me do Shine from Hellsing.” I mentioned and Masaomi eyes widened for a moment before I could see the gears working in his head.

“I don’t know if that’s meant for a talent show though….” Masaomi added and I nodded. 

“See that’s what I was afraid of. Maybe I could plan it out still just for him because that song is one of my favorites.” Mikado went to sit right behind us with a shy smile. 

“I think that would be the better way to go by far. It would be really beautiful but then again you’re beautiful either way.” I kicked his foot as my face flamed with a blush as the main teacher walked into the room. 

“Good morning students and welcome to your first day. We shall start by each introducing each other. We’ll start with the back row by the window and work our way up.” With that I banged my head slightly, I was right after Mikado. So much for my luck today. 

“Mikado Ryugamine.” Mikado introduced before sitting down and I stood slightly hating this exact moment in time because of all the eyes staring at me and whispering. 

“I’m Emiko Oriyon and yes before anyone asks my dad is the one who has probably made your laptops, cell phones and other forms of technology. I have Asperger’s so I mostly keep to myself and if I suck at communicating this is me apologizing in advance…” And I’m already babbling and making a fool out of myself and it’s not even the first day. I sat down harshly only to notice that somebody had pulled out my chair making me make contact with the floor. Hard. As everyone laughed at me including the teacher. You can’t cry here Emiko. You just can’t cry here. What would Shizuo think if he was here? He would laugh too that’s for sure. Masaomi and Mikado were the only two people who weren’t laughing at me as Masaomi helped me up off the floor and I got my chair. 

“Thanks for not laughing at me…” I told my best friend quietly as he shook his head at me. 

“Anri Sonohara. Nice to meet everyone.” The girl in front of me greeted in a monotone voice as I took out my book so that I could escape from that moment of extremely harsh embarrassment.  I hoped that as the other students went that they would just forget that I had even gone at all. I read my favorite short story before Masaomi had even gone. 

“I’m Masaomi Kida. I bet you guys think I’m all mature and everything. But I’m really just an innocent fifteen year old just like the rest of you.” I laughed at my best friend as he sat down with a smirk. At least now I can say that mine wasn’t as humiliating as that one was.  _ He probably did that just to try and make everyone forget about the girl who fell flat on her ass…. Man I hate my clumsiness sometimes. _

“Rio Kamichika. It’s nice to meet everyone.” I quirked my eyebrow up thinking that was really odd but decided to let it go since it wasn’t really my business. I watched as we went through the rest of my classmates to see someone open up the door. 

“Oh, I see we have our first tardy. We were just doing introductions. Enlighten us with your name.” The sensei instructed and I saw a boy that I had never seen before in my life. But, then again this was high school. I didn’t know half of these people and they probably already had opinions about me that I didn’t want them to. 

“Seiji Yagiri. It’s nice to meet all of you.” I smiled to myself as I gently began to turn back to my book. I only closed it when I heard Yagiri say something that piqued my interest.

“I just wanna say that I won’t be at school for a while. Well, actually I’m never coming back. I just came to let you know, sir. Goodbye.” Yagiri stood up going for the door as I looked at my best friend. 

“It’s really that easy? You mean I can just up and leave just like that and save myself from further humiliation?” I asked Masaomi and he just looked at me with amusement. 

“Right? Like if it was that easy I would have done it ages ago!!” Mikado just looked at us like we were acting like crazy nutcases. 

“Hole on a second, Seiji. You can’t really mean it.” The teacher protested but Yagiri just looked at him and at all of us. 

“I’m not joking, sir. I have my reasons. This is something that’s very important to me. I gotta go. I can’t waste anymore of my time with you people. Goodbye, sir.” I looked up as Yagiri opened the door only to have the teacher rush after him to get some answers out of him probably. 

“Well that happened. Did you two go to highschool with that guy?” Mikado asked and we both shook our heads. 

“Nope, I don’t think so but I wouldn’t have really known.” I was still reveling in the humiliation when a girl came up to me. 

“Are you okay? That looked like it hurt.” She had glasses and black hair, you’re typical shy girl. 

“Oh yeah I’m fine don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.” I tried to make her go away but Masaomi thought that this would be the perfect time to engage this girl in conversation. I heard two horrendous pick up lines before I began to just tune him out. 

“Hey Emiko, could you maybe read me one of those?” Mikado asked me and I nodded my head.    
“Which one did you want to hear?” I asked my friend and he just shrugged his shoulders. 

“You pick out a good short story.” I nodded my head flipping to my favorite short story, The Masque Of The Red Death. The other students began to sit around me as well as I began to read the story. 

“This is one of my favorite stories in my history of reading books. I got this book from a friend of mine last year for my birthday. It’s a little bit creepy and he was the first horror writer to ever really exist. His life was hell on earth and how he got those emotions out was through his writings. One of his most famous ones is called The Masque Of The Red Death, inspired by the disease that took most of the people that he loved called Tuberculous.”   

_ “The red death had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and it’s seal the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution.  The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were pest ban which shut him, out of from the aid of his fellow-men. And the whole seizures, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour. But the Prince Prospero was happy and dauntless and sagacious. When his dominions were half depopulated, he summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court, and with these retired to the deep seclusion of one of his castellated abbeys. This was an extensive and magnificent structure, the creation of the prince's own eccentric yet august taste. A strong and lofty wall girdled it in. This wall had gates of iron. The courtiers, having entered, brought furnaces and massy hammers and welded the bolts. They resolved to leave means neither of ingress or egress to the sudden impulses of despair or of frenzy from within. The abbey was amply provisioned. With such precautions the courtiers might bid defiance to contagion. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The prince had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffoons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the "Red Death." _ I heard the door open and shut the book much to the dismay of my classmates.

“Oh, were you reading Edgar Allan Poe?” I nodded my head faintly at the teacher’s question. 

“Yes she was, she reads it some of the best that I had ever heard.” One of the other students told the teacher and I smiled at him. 

“Well thank you, I love reading out loud to people. Especially his work because it’s so beautiful and tragic.” I smiled to myself as the teacher pulled up a chair to the rest of the class. 

“Please don’t stop on my account. I love that story.” I smiled as I got back into the moment that I was having. 

_ “It was toward the close of the fifth or sixth month of his seclusion, and while the pestilence rose furiously abroad, the Prince Prospero entertained his thousand friends in a masked ball of the most unusual magnificence. It was a voluptuous scene, this Masquerade. But first let me tell you of the rooms it was held. There were seven-an imperial suite. In many palaces, however, such suites form a long and straight vista, while the folding doors slide back nearly to the wall on either hand, so the view of the whole extent is scarcely impeded. Here the case was very different; as it may have been expected from the duke’s love of the bizarre. The apartments were so irregularly disposed that the vision embraced but little more than one at a time. There was a sharp turn at every twenty or thirty yards, and at each turn a novel effect. To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, a tall and narrow Gothic window looked out upon a closed corridor which pursued the windings of the suite. These windows were of stained glass whose color varied in accordance with the prevailing hue of the decorations of the chamber into which it opened. That at the eastern extremity was hung, for example, in blue --and vividly blue were its windows. The second chamber was purple in its ornaments and tapestries, and here the panes were purple. The third was green throughout, and so were the casements. The fourth was furnished and lighted with orange --the fifth with white --the sixth with violet. The seventh apartment was closely shrouded in black velvet tapestries that hung all over the ceiling and down the walls, falling in heavy folds upon a carpet of the same material and hue. But in this chamber only, the color of the windows failed to correspond with the decorations. The panes here were scarlet --a deep blood color. Now in no one of the seven apartments was there any lamp or candelabrum, amid the profusion of golden ornaments that lay scattered to and fro or depended from the roof. There was no light of any kind emanating from lamp or candle within the suite of chambers. But in the corridors that followed the suite, there stood, opposite to each window, a heavy tripod, bearing a brazier of fire that protected its rays through the tinted glass and so glaringly illumined the room. And thus were produced a multitude of gaudy and fantastic appearances. But in the western or black chamber the effect of the fire-light that streamed upon the dark hangings through the blood-tinted panes, was ghastly in the extreme, and produced so wild a look upon the countenances of those who entered, that there were few of the company bold enough to set foot within its precincts at all.It was in this apartment, also, that there stood against the western wall, a gigantic clock of ebony. Its pendulum swung to and fro with a dull, heavy, monotonous clang; and when the minute-hand made the circuit of the face, and the hour was to be stricken, there came from the brazen lungs of the clock a sound which was clear and loud and deep and exceedingly musical, but of so peculiar a note and emphasis that, at each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to pause, momentarily, in their performance, to hearken to the sound; and thus the waltzers perforce ceased their evolutions; and there was a brief disconcert of the whole gay company; and, while the chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation. But when the echoes had fully ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly; the musicians looked at each other and smiled as if at their own nervousness and folly, and made whispering vows, each to the other, that the next chiming of the clock should produce in them no similar emotion; and then, after the lapse of sixty minutes, (which embrace three thousand and six hundred seconds of the Time that flies,) there came yet another chiming of the clock, and then were the same disconcert and tremulousness and meditation as before.But, in spite of these things, it was a gay and magnificent revel. The tastes of the duke were peculiar. He had a fine eye for colors and effects. He disregarded the decor of mere fashion. His plans were bold and fiery, and his conceptions glowed with barbaric lustre. There are some who would have thought him mad. His followers felt that he was not. It was necessary to hear and see and touch him to be sure that he was not. He had directed, in great part, the moveable embellishments of the seven chambers, upon occasion of this great fete; and it was his own guiding taste which had given character to the masqueraders. Be sure they were grotesque. There were much glare and glitter and piquancy and phantasm --much of what has been since seen in "Hernani." There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams. And these --the dreams --writhed in and about, taking hue from the rooms, and causing the wild music of the orchestra to seem as the echo of their steps. And, anon, there strikes the ebony clock which stands in the hall of the velvet. And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away --they have endured but an instant --and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart. And now again the music swells, and the dreams live, and writhe to and fro more merrily than ever, taking hue from the many-tinted windows through which stream the rays from the tripods. But to the chamber which lies most westwardly of the seven, there are now none of the maskers who venture; for the night is waning away; and there flows a ruddier light through the blood-colored panes; and the blackness of the sable drapery appals; and to him whose foot falls upon the sable carpet, there comes from the near clock of ebony a muffled peal more solemnly emphatic than any which reaches their ears who indulge in the more remote gaieties of the other apartments.But these other apartments were densely crowded, and in them beat feverishly the heart of life. And the revel went whirlingly on, until at length there commenced the sounding of midnight upon the clock. And then the music ceased, as I have told; and the evolutions of the waltzers were quieted; and there was an uneasy cessation of all things as before. But now there were twelve strokes to be sounded by the bell of the clock; and thus it happened, perhaps, that more of thought crept, with more of time, into the meditations of the thoughtful among those who revelled. And thus, too, it happened, perhaps, that before the last echoes of the last chime had utterly sunk into silence, there were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise --then, finally, of terror, of horror, and of disgust. In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation. In truth the masquerade license of the night was nearly unlimited; but the figure in question had out-Heroded Herod, and gone beyond the bounds of even the prince's indefinite decorum. There are chords in the hearts of the most reckless which cannot be touched without emotion. Even with the utterly lost, to whom life and death are equally jests, there are matters of which no jest can be made. The whole company, indeed, seemed now deeply to feel that in the costume and bearing of the stranger neither wit nor propriety existed. The figure was tall and gaunt, and shrouded from head to foot in the habiliments of the grave. The mask which concealed the visage was made so nearly to resemble the countenance of a stiffened corpse that the closest scrutiny must have had difficulty in detecting the cheat. And yet all this might have been endured, if not approved, by the mad revellers around. But the mummer had gone so far as to assume the type of the Red Death. His vesture was dabbled in blood --and his broad brow, with all the features of the face, was besprinkled with the scarlet horror. When the eyes of Prince Prospero fell upon this spectral image (which with a slow and solemn movement, as if more fully to sustain its role, stalked to and fro among the waltzers) he was seen to be convulsed, in the first moment with a strong shudder either of terror or distaste; but, in the next, his brow reddened with rage. "Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him --"who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him --that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!" It was in the eastern or blue chamber in which stood the Prince Prospero as he uttered these words. They rang throughout the seven rooms loudly and clearly --for the prince was a bold and robust man, and the music had become hushed at the waving of his hand. It was in the blue room where stood the prince, with a group of pale courtiers by his side. At first, as he spoke, there was a slight rushing movement of this group in the direction of the intruder, who at the moment was also near at hand, and now, with deliberate and stately step, made closer approach to the speaker. But from a certain nameless awe with which the mad assumptions of the mummer had inspired the whole party, there were found none who put forth hand to seize him; so that, unimpeded, he passed within a yard of the prince's person; and, while the vast assembly, as if with one impulse, shrank from the centres of the rooms to the walls, he made his way uninterruptedly, but with the same solemn and measured step which had distinguished him from the first, through the blue chamber to the purple --through the purple to the green --through the green to the orange --through this again to the white --and even thence to the violet, ere a decided movement had been made to arrest him. It was then, however, that the Prince Prospero, maddening with rage and the shame of his own momentary cowardice, rushed hurriedly through the six chambers, while none followed him on account of a deadly terror that had seized upon all. He bore aloft a drawn dagger, and had approached, in rapid impetuosity, to within three or four feet of the retreating figure, when the latter, having attained the extremity of the velvet apartment, turned suddenly and confronted his pursuer. There was a sharp cry --and the dagger dropped gleaming upon the sable carpet, upon which, instantly afterwards, fell prostrate in death the Prince Prospero. Then, summoning the wild courage of despair, a throng of the revellers at once threw themselves into the black apartment, and, seizing the mummer, whose tall figure stood erect and motionless within the shadow of the ebony clock, gasped in unutterable horror at finding the grave-cerements and corpse-like mask which they handled with so violent a rudeness, untenanted by any tangible form. And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.”  _ As I finished the story that meant the world to me all of my students looked at me almost awe and horror. 

“You’re very talented at reading aloud. Did the occupation of actress ever cross your mind?” My teacher asked me and I shook my head slightly. 

“No, not really, but thank for the compliment sir. I’m just a girl who loves a really good story. And The Red Death is just one of my favorites. I have a had a person tell me though that I could be really talented if I just got over my shyness around people.” I told him shyly pushing a curl behind my ear. I heard the bell ring for lunch.

“You did that so cool!! It was like I could envision it all in my mind.” Mikado gushed and I smiled at my new friend. 

“It’s really nothing, I mean it’s just reading beautiful words on a page. It’s not like I wrote them or anything like that. I’ve loved reading ever since I was a little girl and reading aloud helps me remember what I had read on the page. Maybe that’s why I’m so good at it. It’s just fun.” I explained to my friend getting out my lunch as one of the other girl’s the same one from earlier this morning came to sit next to me. 

“That was really amazing, can I see that book if you don’t mind? I’d like to read some of his other stories.” I nodded my head handing the massive book to the girl.    
“Well I’m not surprised at all, it’s just my Emi-chan being adorable.” I smacked Masaomi’s shoulder slightly with a blush on my cheeks. 

“I’ve told you hundreds of times not to call me that!! God.” I rolled my eyes at my best friend with a secret smile on my face. Most of the other students came to sit around me. I got out my lunch that the chief had made last night and a bottle of the strawberry lemonade that I had made a few nights ago. My strawberry lemonade never really lasted long and  a lot of my family members loved to drink it more than water. I also had a giant jug of water that was on my desk that I had put in the fridge last night and gotten this morning from chef. My lunch was a chicken sandwich on the french bread that she had made, greek salad and a brownie for dessert. I loved having a personal chef around and that was the very first thing that I requested once we had gotten the mansion. I handed a lunch to Masaomi as well just so that he wouldn’t have to buy. 

“You’re a saint.” I laughed at my best friend and rolled my eyes at him. 

“Shut it, and it’s the chef that’s the saint here not me.” I reminded him with a laugh as the girl continued to read my book with rapt interest. I leaned over her shoulder to see that she was reading The Tell Tale Heart one of my personal favorites. 

“That’s one of his most brilliant stories, I love that one.” I told the girl who just ignored me and continued to read the story as I laughed and smiled at the girl. 

“It seems that she’s just like you Emi-chan, she’s addicted to the printed word.” Masaomi told me as I stuck my tongue out at my best friend. 

“I have said no to Emi-chan pick another nickname.” I ordered my best friend as the kids around us laughed at our banter. 

“You really are extremely talented at reading, it’s like I could see everything that you were reading.” One of the boys gushed and I smiled shyly. 

“It’s not that hard, when you’ve read something enough times you figure out the best way to tell the story. I’ve read that book multiple times because I’m weird and I love to read the same books over and over if I really love them. I’ve done it with Lord Of The Rings as well.” I explained to the boy and he just nodded his head at me. 

“I’m surprised that someone could be so interested in words that are so demented and spooky.” I looked up at the girl who had said the words. It was one of my bullies from last year, the only who didn’t take Shizuo’s threat seriously, Monaka.    


“ Well that’s my best friend for you, she’s extremely chipper and happy yet her favorite author is as dark as dark gets. To me it’s part of the appeal.” Masaomi defended and I smiled at my best friend. 

“I’m surprised that she didn’t have one of her mental breakdowns while she was reading the story. We were all staring at her yet she didn’t cover her ears and run away in fear.” Monaka remarked and I scowled at her. 

“What’s your deal with her? What has she ever done to you?” Mikado asked Monaka who glared at me trying to get me to cave. 

“She’s a freak that’s what she is. You all support her now, just wait a couple of days she’ll get annoying trust me I know.” With that she turned on her heel and slammed the door startling me. 

“What a bitch honestly.” One of the boys said to my left and I frowned to myself. 

“I’m sorry, if you all want to go and talk to somebody else I won’t judge.” I told the rest of my class but nobody moved. 

“We’re not going anywhere. Just because some bitchy jealous girl thinks that you’re not talented or that you don’t seem nice doesn’t mean that the rest of us are going to listen to her.” One of the girls told me and I smiled at them. This was fine. I could be happy in this classroom surrounded by people. 

“What is your other favorite short story by Poe?” The teacher asked me from the front of my room and I took a bite from my sandwich. 

“My other favorite short story by him is The Tell-Tale Heart.” I told my teacher who nodded and went back to minding his own business. 

“What got you into his writings?” One of the female students asked me and I smiled to myself. 

“I have this friend named Erika who is older than me and has already graduated from high school. She gave me this book when it was my birthday last year.” I told my classmates and they all continued to ask me questions. 

“Do you have any other hobbies?”    


“ Who told you that you should pursue acting?”    


“Where did you get that pretty hair ribbon?” I was getting slightly overwhelmed by all these questions something that Masaomi noticed. 

“One question at a time, you’ll overwhelm the superstar.” I stuck my tongue out at my best friend and began to answer the questions in no particular order. 

“The one who told me that I should pursue acting was a friend of mine who’s also an actor. His name is Kasuka. My other hobbies aside from reading is that I love to draw characters from the books that I read or recently the short stories that I love to reread. I recently drew a Raven for my friend Erika based off of her favorite Poe story, The Raven. My sparkly hair ribbon was a get well gift from my bodyguard who is one of my closest friends, Shizuo.” I told the rest of my classmates and they all gapped at me. 

“You know Shizuo Heiwajima?!” They all exclaimed and I glanced at the floor covering my ears at the loud noises. 

“Please don’t talk so loudly, it usually startles her. It’s part of her lovely Asperger’s, this is one of her sensory overloads.” Masaomi explained to my classmates as he moved slightly to put his arms around my waist in a hug rubbing small circles into my back. I heard him gently humming I want to to change the world one of my favorite songs that was my go to song during my sensory overloads. I came back to the real world and from my own head when Masaomi gently kissed my forehead and I blushed slightly.  

“Sorry about that, it happens a lot when loud noises or things like that happen. I do know Shizuo. He was my bodyguard for about three years and when he resigned when my parents didn’t need him to work with me anymore they decided that Shizuo was no longer needed even though he’s still sticking by me.” I explained to my students and they all my smiled at me. 

“That’s really cool.” I ate the rest of my salad and my sandwich saving my brownie for maybe tomorrow. Right at that moment the bell rang and we did even more class work and handed out the rubrics for all of our classes and our getting to know you worksheet when the bell rang to go home from school. 

“I’m just going to change into my street clothes and walk home Shizuo.” I smiled at my best friend and he grinned at me. 

“I’ll see you in the town square in half an hour.” Masaomi ordered me and I laughed to myself. I went to the park where I saw my old bodyguard smoking a cigarette. 

“And how many of those have you had today?” I asked my old friend and I laughed to myself. 

“Relax, you’re not Kasuka or my mother.” I laughed when he ruffled my hair.

“I might not be but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care. How’s Kasuka?” I asked my bodyguard as we started off to my mansion. 

“He’s really great actually, he says hi by the way. How was your day?” He asked me and I smiled to myself. 

“It was pretty good, had some embarrassing moments during the day. During the introduction I somehow overshot my distance and landed on the floor instead of my chair-” Shizuo started to laugh at me. “Oh shut up!! Man I knew that you would laugh it’s like why do I even bother telling you anything if you’re just going to laugh at me? Anyways after that fiasco we had a student come in literally just to tell our teacher that he won’t be coming to school anymore than got up and left.” I explained to my old friend who looked off into the distance. 

“Well that’s strange…” He drawled and I nodded my head. 

“That’s what me and Mikado thought as well. I seem to be a lot more popular this year in my class though. I was reading The Masque Of The Red Death to Mikado and my entire class came to sit and listen to me retell the story. They all really loved it and ate lunch with me, Masaomi and Mikado. All in all it was a really good day. A little bit humiliating but still good. How about yourself?” I asked my friend and he nodded. 

“It’s been average, no sign of Izaya yet so I guess that’s a good day.” I laughed at my bodyguard’s practically one track mind. 

“That does sound like a good day if you talked to your brother and there’s no Izaya in sight yet. The day’s only partially over though so he could still come around.” I reminded him and he glared at me half heartedly. 

“Gee you’re feeling optimistic today aren’t you?” I laughed at my best friend and smiled to myself. 

“I never said that wasn’t feeling optimistic just trying to keep you from getting too big of an ego.” I remarked and he laughed at me. 

“Any sensory overloads today?” I flushed at the question but nodded my head as we moved up the road to my mansion. 

“A little baby one because my classmates were being a little bit too rowdy. Get this, Monaka is still in my class. I don’t know if she’ll be trouble or not but I just want her to leave me the hell alone.” I told my old bodyguard and he made a sound of discontentment. 

“Which one was she again?” He asked me and I started to describe the girl to him. 

“She has like platinum blonde hair, always has this sneer on her face like she’s trying to figure out your biggest weakness, has green eyes like a snake-” That’s when he finally remembered the girl that he had insulted last year. 

“She’s still bothering you? I thought that I had scared off most of your bullies with that one threat.” I nodded my head with a sad smile. 

“She’s the only one that continued to bully me even after the threat that you gave her that day.” I explained to my friend and he looked at me slightly hurt that I hadn’t told him about this. 

“And I’m hearing about this just now why exactly?” Shizuo asked me and I shrank into myself slightly. 

“Because I’ve been keeping it a secret from you. I didn’t want you to worry about me.” Shizuo then took off his sunglasses and I knew that this was me about to never hear the end of this I felt in my soul. 

“Your parents, do they know about this whole ordeal?” Shizuo asked me getting down on my level so that he could see my eyes.    
“Of course they don’t. If they don’t know about something and you don’t know about something than most people don’t know about it.” I answered my bodyguard before I got embraced by my role model. 

“Are you done keeping this from me? Because I feel bad that you didn’t ever tell me anything about this entire thing. I feel like I’ve let you down and that’s probably the worst feeling in the world to me. Does Masaomi know?” I shook my head.    


“I couldn’t tell him either… should I have?” I asked my friend and he laughed cruelly at me. 

“Yeah you should have at the very least told the boy that your in love with that you were getting verbally abused. How did he not know?”    


“It was always when he was gone from school which last year was a lot.” We walked in silence for about a minute until I looked up at my bodyguard. 

“I’m sorry for not telling you about everything Shizuo. I just didn’t want you to have to worry about me on top of everything else that you had already done for me last year. Last year was not really a good one for anyone in my family with me catching phenomena and not being able to go to school anymore, the whole incident with Masaomi and the yellow scarves and everything else that went down… I just didn’t want to bother you with my own silly bullying issues.” I admitted to my friend as we finally arrived at the mansion and Kikio opened the door. 

“Welcome home Mistress how was school?” I smiled shyly at my favorite servant. 

“It was good thank you for asking. I’m going out with Masaomi to eat ice cream in a few minutes. I should be back by the time that mom and dad get home though.” I told the servant who nodded her head and allowed Shizuo inside the mansion as well. 

“You should have still told me. Even if this technically isn’t my job anymore I still love being around you and I want to help you. If this girl is bothering you than either you should tell her to stop or I will.” I smiled at Shizuo’s overprotectiveness and knew that he meant it. 

“Don’t look at me like I haven’t tried. Monaka is relentless, ignoring her only gets me insulted harder, fighting back and she calls me a coward, everything that you’ve taught me hasn’t worked at all!!” I was getting so frustrated with Monaka because no matter what I did it seemed that I would only get insulted far worse than when I started. Shizuo put an arm around my shoulders out of comfort and I sighed to myself. 

“It’ll be fine Emi, I’ll help you get rid of her. If you ever see her in the streets when we’re together just tell me and we’ll handle her together. That way she’ll never bother you again.” Shizuo reassured and I smiled at my friend before rushing upstairs as I heard his bright laughter from downstairs. I needed this ice cream probably more than I had originally thought. I put on some clean street clothes and took the hair ribbon out only to replace it with a pink sparkly one that his brother had sent me in a care package when I got sick last year. I put on my favorite jeans, black tee shirt with graphic colors on it and my sweetheart sweatshirt. I zipped up the sweatshirt grabbing my favorite combat boots as well even though it was just April it was still rather cold. I went back downstairs seeing Shizuo of course lighting another cigarette. I knew that Kasuka would be on my case, well as on my case as a person like him could get, but I had already tried lecturing a million times before but it never really worked so I just gave up somewhere down the line.    


“Ready to blow this joint?” My ex-bodyguard asked me as I tied my combat boots with a shy smile. 

“Of course, let’s go.” I waved to Kikio as she opened the door for and Shizuo.    


“So are you going to do it? Are you going to tell Masaomi how you feel and put us both out of our suffering?” I laughed at Shizuo and shrugged my shoulders. 

“I don’t know, if the moment is right then I’ll take it. That’s what my dad said for me to do anyway’s. He said that I shouldn’t force anything out of it so I’m going to be taking that advice.” I told my old friend and he just shook his head at me. 

“At this point your doing this to yourself. You could be happy and in a relationship with the kid that stole your heart or you can watch and observe as he gets taken by another girl. It could always happen and it will happen if you don’t do something about how you feel.” Shizuo advised as Tom came running up to us.    


“Oh hi Emiko, I’m actually in need of Shizuo. Can I steal him from you?” I nodded my head and waved to Shizuo as I kept on walking. 

“I’ll see what I can do alright? I make no promises.” I told my old friend as I walked to the ice cream shop where Masaomi was standing waiting for me. 

“Hey Masaomi!! Been waiting long?” I asked my best friend and he shook his head at me. 

“Not long at all. You ready for some ice cream?” He asked me with a bright smile and I nodded going inside of the shop with him and ordering my favorite flavor which was a rainbow sherbert. I was rather particular about ice cream and that was just my favorite flavor with no competition. Masaomi got his favorite, chocolate brownie and we both started to walk around outside.    


“I need to tell you something.” We both said at the same time once we had finished our ice cream and reached the park. We both laughed at each other as we started to swing on the swings. 

“I’ll go first that way if you shut me down Masaomi I can take it. I… I love you so much. It’s getting a little bit ridiculous, everyone knows at this point except for you-” I was cut off by him taking my hand. 

“I love you too more than anything.” I knew that I could be happy if this was the extent of our relationship. Just this and it was happy for me. Just holding hands on swings. That made me feel like I was good enough for him despite everything.  __ __

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all!! This is one of my favorite stories that I have ever written. I love this OC she's just so original and unique to me and she's probably the most like me out of all of my OC's out there. We both have a slightly gothic edge beneath all the sunshine and rainbows mostly that comes through my massive love for Edgar Allan Poe. He is my favorite writer and sometimes my biggest inspiration for the words that I write. My two favorite works that he had ever written are both here and my third favorite The Tell-Tale Heart is mentioned.


End file.
